LynxIQ Partners with NorthWest Community College to Build Students Experience in Data Science
WINSTED, CT – February 20, 2020 – Last semester, Northwestern Connecticut Community College launched its new Data Science Degree and Certificate programs and students in The Capstone Research Project Course are getting the opportunity to apply their newly acquired knowledge using a real-world problem that combines business marketing and data science statistics. Data Science is an inter-disciplinary field that uses scientific processes, algorithmic and systems methods to build knowledge and extract insights from big data. More succinctly, it discovers hidden patterns from vast amounts of data too complex for the brain to decipher, using mathematical tools, skills and techniques.
At NCCC, Profs. Stacey Williams and Crystal Wiggins, are using the Capstone Research Project platform to have students work with a start-up company, HealthLynxIQ to solve actual business problems that the company is facing. During the project, students will vet the company’s business model, focused market segment and barriers to adoption by engaging their team, researching the area, and analyzing real data to produce a set of recommendations. HealthLynxIQ is developing a health application designed to link patients to their health data, informing relevant use, and providing access at its time of need. This app, “Removes barriers that we struggle with day to day and places a person at the core of their care in a way that’s safe, simple and connected.” said K. Marinka Natale, owner of
HealthLynxIQ, who had signed a Collaborative Agreement prior to the start of the course, with NCCC President Dr. Michael Rooke to facilitate the Capstone Research Project. “Our vision is to create partnerships with Connecticut businesses and educational institutions like NCCC to create a healthcare solution for its citizens. So, we are thrilled to have Connecticut’s talented future professionals applying their learned skills to a real-life problem.”
Professor Crystal Wiggins, faculty advisor for the Data Science portfolio at NCCC, said that this Capstone Research Project mimics an internship, where students learn to interact in a business setting, manage deadlines, produce technical documents, and think critically to find solutions. At the end of the course, students will produce a report with their solutions and present it to their client. The Data Science associate degree program prepares students primarily to transfer to complete a B.S. degree in Data Science or Technology Management. Graduates will receive a background in mathematics, science, data literacy, programming, and general education courses for transfer into a four-year program. The Data Science Certificate provides exposure to key elements of data science including data structures and data sources, programming languages, statistical principles, computing and analytics, data management, machine learning tools, and data science applications.
Published online @ https://www.nwcc.edu/news/students-in-ncccs-new-data-science-program-are-learning-how-to-research-and-solve-the-problems-of-an-actual-company/
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